340 CLOVERS 



which grows from 2 to lo feet high. The branches 

 are woody in character, especially in the lower parts, 

 which prevents close cropping by animals grazing 

 on the plants. The trifoliate leaves are numerous, 

 especially on the upper portions. The panicle is 

 erect and is considerably branched. The pods are 

 prickly and have many joints. These break asunder 

 when matured, and are frequently distributed by ad- 

 hering to the covering of animals and the clothing 

 of men. The strong, spreading roots have much 

 power to gather food in the soil and also to enrich 

 the same by means of the tubercles formed on the 

 roots. 



This plant grows only in warm weather, and it 

 ts able to withstand much drought. Its value for 

 pasture and hay would seem to depend considerably 

 on the stage of growth at which it is grazed or 

 harvested for hay. When nearing maturity, stock 

 do not relish it much, either as pasture or hay. It 

 is frequently classed as a weed, but in certain poor 

 soils it has been deemed worthy of cultivation. 



Beggar weed is native to the West India Island^ 

 and also, it is thought, to Southern Florida. In 

 1879 seeds were distributed by the Department of 

 Agriculture. It is now grown more or less in the 

 wild or cultivated form in all the Gulf States. While 

 it may be successfully grown as far north as the 

 Ohio River, it is not probable that it will be sown 

 far north of any of the Gulf States, since other fod- 

 der plants more valuable in producing food can be 

 grown to supply the wants of live stock. At the 

 Minnesota University Experiment Farm, the author 



